Fuse for projectiles



Sept. 17, 1935. A. F. TEITSCHEID FUSE FOR PROJECTILES Filed June 6, 1934 Inventor Alired RTeitscheid E WW Atturne' factured and used by or for the Government for governmental-purposes, without the payment to Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES} PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

= (Granted under the act of March a. 1883, as

amended April a0, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) -The invention described herein may be manume of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a fuse for projectiles and more particularly it has reference to a unit carrying centrifugally releasable bolts.

In fuses for artillery projectiles a common practice of assuring safety of the firing mechanism consists in maintaining one or more of the elements of the mechanism in unarmed position by means of bolts or pinsadapted to be moved under the influence of centrifugal force during flight of the projectile. The situation frequently occurs, especially in low angle impact and in projectiles having low rotational velocities, that the bolts when no longer subject to the influence 0f centrifugal force reengages the elernents of the firing mechanism before such elements can function.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a separate bolt-carrying unit which may be readilyapplied to a fuse casing and associated with a firing mechanism and which includes means for opposing return of the bolts to unarmed or safety position when the bolts have once been moved to armed-position.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof-elements-- described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional View of a base fuse provided with the improved bolt unit and showing the parts in unarmed position.

Fig. 2 is a similar fragmentary View showing the parts in armed position.

Figs. 3 and 4 are (enlarged) detail sectional views on the corresponding lines of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the application of the invention to a nose fuse.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 there is shown a base fuse comprising a body 5 having an explosive train chamber 6 and a firing pin chamber 1, the latter closed by a plug 8.

, A thimble 9 in the chamber 6 and threadedly secured to the body carries an explosivetrain which in the illustration includes a primer ill, a delay train II and a detonator l2. The detonator extends into a booster charge I3 contained 5 in a cup M secured to the body 5.

A plunger l5 normally positioned in the rear part of the chamber 1 carries a firing pin I6 projecting from the front face of the plunger and having a point H on its front end. 10 A block l8 positioned in the front part of the chamber 1 is held against a shoulder IQ of the body by means of a sleeve 20 surrounding the plunger and seated on the plug 8. A coil spring 2i confined between the plunger and the block normally holds the plungerin the rear part of the chamber-l against the plug 8.

-The block 18 is' formed' with an axially disposed aperture22, a diametrical passage 23 and a a radial slot 24 which is disposed perpendicularly to the passage 23. The aperture-22 is provided to permit passage of the firing pin It, the front end I l of' which is normallyinserted in the aperture.

A pair of bolts 25-45 are slidably mounted in 25 i the passage 23 on opposite sides of the axis of the block. A spring 26 confined between each of the bolts and a shell 2'! embracing the block l8, nor- .mallyurges the bolt into theaxial aperture 22 :andinto .thei path'of' movement of the firing pin,

The inward movement of the bolts under the action of their springs is limited by the point I! of the firing pin.

Referring to Figs. 3-5, a tumbler 28 is disposed in the slot 24 and is pivotally mounted on a pin 29 carried by the block 3. The tumbler is mounted off-center on the pin to provide a long or heavy arm 30 and a short or light arm-3| and this unbalanced relation is made more pronounced by forming the short arm with tapered walls 3232 to reduce its mass. The short arm 3! of the tumbler is formed with a recess 33 in its end to permit passage of the firing pin when the tumbler is in a position perpendicular to the axis of the firing pin. The tumbler is so arranged that in the foregoing position the short arm will be in the path of return movement of the bolts 25 when the bolts are in the armed position shown in Fig. 4.

A stop member 34 for engaging the long arm 30 of the tumbler and limiting movement of the tumbler to a horizontal position is conveniently formed by cutting the closed end 35 of the shell 21 and bending the cut-out portion inwardly into the slot 24.

The shell 21 forms a container for the block and has an inturned flange 36 for confining a disc 31. The closed end 35 of the shell and the disc 31 are providedrespectively with apertures 38 and 39 to permit passage of the firing pin. In the nose fuse shown in Fig. 6 the block 48, carrying an element 4| of an explosive train and also centrifugally releasable bolts 4242, is mounted for movement as a plunger. It is held in rearmost position by a spring 13 and by a firing pin 64 directly engaging the bolts 42.

The operation of the base fuse shown in Figs. 1-5 is as follows: When a projectile equipped with the fuse is fired from a gun and is in flight, the bolts 25 move outwardly under the. influence.

of centrifugal force. The tumbler 28 is likewise under the influence of centrifugal force and swings to a position perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fuse with its heavy or long arm 30 arrested by the stop member 34 and its light or short arm 3| disposed in the passage 23 in position to oppose return movement of the bolts 25. On impact the tumbler is maintained in position due to inertia. The plunger l5 moves forwardly due to its inertia and the firing pin carried by the plunger actuates the primer.

I claim:

1. In a fuse, a casing having a chamber, a block in one end of the chamber, said block formed with an axial aperture, a diametrical passage and a radial slot, centrifugally releasable bolts mounted in the passage of the block and normally obstructing the axial aperture, 2. tumbler pivotally mounted in the radial slot of the block and having alight arm and a heavy arm, the end of the light arm being recessed, said tumbler positioned so that its light arm is movable into the diametrical passage to oppose return movement of the bolts, a stop member carried by the block and engageable by the heavy arm of the tumbler, a

plunger in the other end of the chamber, a spring ,7

between the block and plunger, and a firing pin carried by the plunger and movable through the axial aperture of the block upon displacement of the plunger.

2. In a fuse, a casing having a chamber, a block in one end of the chamber, said block formed with an axial aperture, a diametrical passage and a radial slot, centrifugally releasable bolts mounted in the passage of the block and nora radial slot,

mally obstructing the axial aperture, a centrifugally operable member in the radial slot and movable into the diametrical passage to oppose return movement of the bolts, a plunger in the other end of the chamber, a spring between the block and plunger, and a firing pin carried by the plunger and movable through the axial aperture of the block upon displacement of the plunger.

3. A unit for a fuse comprising a shell, a block within the shell, said block formed with an axial l aperture and with a diametrical passage and a radial slot closed by the shell, centrifugally releasable bolts mounted in thepa's'sage of the block and normally obstructing the axial aperture, a tumbler pivotally mounted in the radial slot of l the block and having a light arm and a heavy arm, the end of the light arm being recessed, said tumbler positioned so that its light arm is movable'into the diametrical passage to oppose return movement of the bolts, and a stop member 2 on the shell and engageable by the heavy arm of the tumbler.

l. A unit for a fuse comprising a shell, a block within the shell, said block formed with an axial aperture and with a diametrical passage and a 2 radial slot closed by the shell, centrifugally releasable bolts mounted in the passage of the block and normally obstructing the axial aperture, a centrifugally operable member in the radial slot and movable into the diametrical passage 3 to oppose return movement of the bolts, and a stop member on the shell engageable by said centrifugally operable member.

5. A unit for a fuse comprising a block formed with an axial aperture, a diametrical passage and 3 a radial slot centrifugally releasable bolts mounted in the passage of the block and normally 0b- -structing the axial aperture, a tumbler pivotally mounted in the radial slot of the block and having a light arm and a heavy arm, the end of the 4 light arm being recessed, said tumbler positioned so that its light arm is movable into the diametrical passage to oppose return movement of the bolts, and a stop member carried by the bolt and engageable by the heavy arm of the tumbler. 4 6. A unit for a fuse comprising a block formed with an axial aperture, a diametrical passage and centrifugally releasable bolts mounted in the passage of the block and normally obstructing the axial aperture, and a centrifu 5 gally operable member in the radial slot and movable into the diametrical passage to oppose return movement of the bolts.

ALFRED F. TEITSCHEID. 5 

